1. Introduction
2. Email Policies
3. Postal Mail Policies
4. ACM Web Site
5. ACM Web Account Policy
6. Questions/Comments
ACM (The Association for Computing Machinery) is committed to protecting the privacy of its members and customers. ACM recognizes the interest of its members and customers in the confidentiality of their personal information. ACM only maintains personal information that is relevant to ACM activities and seeks to maintain accurate, complete, and timely information.
The security of personal information is important to ACM. ACM maintains all personal data with technical, administrative, and physical safeguards to protect against loss, unauthorized access, destruction, misuse, modification, and improper disclosure. No computer system or information can ever be fully protected against every possible hazard. ACM provides reasonable and appropriate security controls to protect personal information against foreseeable hazards.
ACM maintains member databases that contain mailing, billing, and member profile information, as well as a record of each member's product and service purchases. ACM also maintains databases of member and non-member purchases and of registrations for conferences and other ACM activities. The information in these databases is used by authorized ACM staff members to process orders; mail invoices, purchases, renewal notices, and announcements; respond to member inquiries; and help us improve our offerings. Member records are maintained as long as an individual is an ACM member and for two years following a membership lapse. Purchases and credit card transactions are retained for as long as appropriate to meet contractual, tax, or auditing needs.
All personally identifiable information contained in ACM membership, purchase, and registration databases is treated as confidential and will be used only for the purposes stated in this policy, except where required by law.
Just like any other record keeper, ACM may be required to disclose personal information in response to valid legal process. This includes a search warrant, subpoena, or court order. Disclosures may also be appropriate to protect ACM's legal rights or during emergencies if physical safety is believed to be at risk. These disclosures are possible although unlikely.
Personal data about ACM members and customers may, from time to time, be collected or shared with outside contractors, auditors, consultants, and others hired by ACM to assist in carrying out financial or operational activities. ACM informs recipients about safeguarding personal information, and requires them to use it only for an authorized purpose consistent with this privacy policy, and to return it or destroy it upon completion of the activity.
ACM members may access the information contained in their membership records and correct and update their member profile and mailing information by going to the web page at http://www.acm.org/membership/manage-account. In order to update your postal tolerance you will need to contact ACM's Member Services Department by phone: 212-626-0500, 800-342-6626, fax: 212-944-1318, or email: [email protected].
ACM does not sell, rent, or exchange email addresses of its members and customers. ACM uses email addresses to send the following:
All ACM created and supported email distribution lists have "unsubscribe" instructions.
ACM provides four [postal] mailing list options to its members:
The names and mailing addresses of members who have selected options #2, #3, or #4 (above) may be rented to outside organizations for the purposes of sending mailing packages that have been carefully screened by authorized ACM staff for their suitability. Managers in ACM's Membership Department are responsible for the screening of materials used by those companies or organizations renting ACM's mailing list. Materials must be of an educational nature for ACM to rent its list. ACM licenses mailing list usage for one-time only — the standard mailing list rental practice, and renters are asked to sign their agreement to this practice. ACM's Mailing List Manager does not "enhance" or overlay any data on ACM's mailing list. ACM does not rent telephone or email addresses.
In order to update your postal tolerance you will need to contact ACM's Member Services Department by phone: 1-212-626-0500, 1-800-342-6626, fax: 1-212-944-1318, or email [email protected].
This policy applies to the "acm.org" Web site maintained by ACM.
Other than in the restricted-access portions of ACM's site that requires an ACM Web Account, ACM does not log the identity of visitors. However, we may keep access logs, for example containing a visitor's IP address and search queries. We may analyze log files periodically to help maintain and improve our Web site and enforce our online service polices. Cookies are only set when users visit restricted portions of our website. Raw log files are treated as confidential and retained for no longer than two years.
On some pages of our site we allow individuals to submit information for the purposes of joining ACM; renewing or updating their membership; ordering products and services; or registering for a conference, contest, or other activity. Information collected on these pages will be used according to ACM's Privacy Policy.
Some portions of the ACM Web site, specifically the ACM Digital Library, require an ACM Web Account for both members and visitors. To create an account, ACM members and customers must provide their name, ACM member number (if applicable), and email address. They are assigned a "username" (which they may change) and asked to create a password and provide the day and month of their birth (for account verification purposes).
Customers must set up an ACM Web account in order to use the "Search" facility in the ACM Digital Library. Non-members are asked for their name, email address, and postal address when they create their account. By default, ACM may send information about ACM products and services to non-member ACM Web account holders via email. Customers may request that they not receive such information via email.
Information collected about ACM Web account usage — including logs of Web pages visited, searches performed, and Digital Library content downloaded — will be stored in an anonymized form and used to improve the ACM Digital Library and other ACM Web offerings. Other information provided in the process of creating or using a Web account is used according to the ACM Privacy Policy.
If you have any questions or comments on the above policy please direct them to [email protected].
Also see the ACM Forwarding Service Anti-Spam Policy.